A HISTORICAL SURVEY ON COOPERATIVE PROTESTANT ADULT EDUCATION IN AMERICA WAS CONDUCTED TO SYSTEMATIZE THE MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS IN THIS FIELD AND TO PROVIDE AN INTRODUCTION FOR THE BEGINNER IN THIS FIELD. THE SURVEY WAS FOCUSED UPON ACTIVITIES AND PROGRAMS DEVELOPED COOPERATIVELY BY DENOMINATIONS AND INTERDENOMINATIONAL AGENCIES AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL DURING THE PERIOD FROM 1936 THROUGH 1964. BASED UPON PRESELECTED CRITERIA, FOUR DENOMINATIONS WERE SELECTED FOR PROVIDING MUCH OF THE REQUIRED RESOURCE DATA. THESE WERE--(1) THE UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, U.S.A., (2) THE CHRISTIAN CHURCHES (DISCIPLES OF CHRIST), (3) THE CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN, AND (4) THE METHODIST CHURCH. CONCLUSIONS OF THE STUDY WERE BROKEN DOWN INTO THE FOLLOWING ELEMENTS--(1) MAJOR TRENDS IN THE PHILOSOPHY OF INTERDENOMINATIONAL ADULT EDUCATION, (2) MAJOR CURRICULUM TRENDS IN THIS FIELD OF EDUCATION, (3) MAJOR METHODOLOGICAL TRENDS IN THE FIELD, (4) SIGNIFICANT TURNING POINTS THAT BROUGHT ABOUT PATTERNS OF CHANGE, (5) CHANGES IN RELATIONSHIP OF INTERDENOMINATIONAL PLANNING AND DENOMINATIONAL PROGRAMING, (6) MAJOR SOCIETAL FACTORS OF INFLUENCE, AND (7) WAYS IN WHICH DEVELOPMENTS IN ADULT AND RELIGIOUS EDUCATION INFLUENCED CORRESPONDING DEVELOPMENTS IN COOPERATIVE INTERDENOMINATIONAL ADULT EDUCATION. FURTHER RESEARCH AND CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT IN THIS AREA WAS RECOMMENDED. AT THE TERMINAL POINT OF THIS STUDY, ADULT EDUCATION WAS JUST BEGINNING TO BE RECOGNIZED FOR ITS IMPORTANCE IN CONTEMPORARY CHURCH LIFE. (JH)